World Series Champion teammates Tony Perez, Ken Griffey Sr. to manage SiriusXM All-Star Futures teams
Hall of Famer Tony Perez and Cincinnati Reds legend Ken Griffey Sr., who were teammates on the 1975 and 1976 "Big Red Machine" World Series Championship teams, will return to the dugouts to manage in the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday July, 12th at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Perez, a native of Camaguey, Cuba, will lead the World Team, while Griffey will manage the U.S. Team.
The SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which is now in its 17th year, features the top Minor League prospects competing in a nine-inning contest as part of All-Star Sunday. The U.S. Team leads the all-time series, 10-6.
As part of its live All-Star Week programming, MLB Network will exclusively televise and MLB.com will live stream the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at 3:00 p.m. ET, with Matt Vasgersian, Dan Plesac, Heidi Watney and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo on the call live from Great American Ball Park.
SiriusXM, the Official Satellite Radio Partner of Major League Baseball, will provide live play-by-play coverage of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on MLB Network Radio (XM channel 89; Sirius channel 209) in addition to SiriusXM's other comprehensive live coverage from Cincinnati. The game will also be available to SiriusXM subscribers on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smart phones and mobile devices and online at SiriusXM.com. All-Star Sunday is the first of three days of All-Star events at Great American Ball Park, culminating with the 86th All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14th.
Perez, who was signed by the Reds as a free agent in 1960, played 23 seasons in the Majors as a first and third baseman for the Reds (1964-76; 1984-86), Montreal Expos (1977-79), Boston Red Sox (1980-82) and Philadelphia Phillies (1983). The seven-time All-Star was a .279 career hitter with 2,732 hits, 379 home runs and 1,652 RBI. Perez, who was named the 1967 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player after hitting the game-winning home run in the 15th inning, was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1998, and elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Perez drove in at least 90 runs in 11 consecutive seasons from 1967-77, and posted over 100 RBI in seven seasons. In 1970, Tony finished third in National League Most Valuable Player voting after hitting .317 with a career-best 40 home runs and 129 RBI. Perez, who managed the Reds for the first 44 games of the 1993 season, had his number 24 retired by the Reds in 2000. During his storied career, Perez appeared in five World Series and six League Championship Series.
Griffey, who was drafted by the Reds in the 29th round of the 1969 MLB Draft, played 19 seasons in the Majors as an outfielder and first baseman for the Reds (1973-81; 1988-90), New York Yankees (1982-86), Atlanta Braves (1986-88) and Seattle Mariners (1990-91). Griffey amassed 2,143 hits, 152 home runs and 859 RBI during his career, batting .296 along the way. Along with Perez, Griffey helped lead the Reds to a franchise-best 108 wins in 1975 en route to the club's first World Series Championship since 1940. The three-time All-Star was named Most Valuable Player of the 1980 Midsummer Classic in Los Angeles after going 2-for-3 with a home run and RBI. Along with his son, Ken Jr., the duo became the first father-son combination to play on the same team together, when they played their first game together with the Mariners on August 31, 1990. The Pennsylvania native was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2004, and he remains a member of the organization as a part-time Minor League hitting instructor.
The remainder of the coaching staffs, as well as rosters and umpires for the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets are available for purchase for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game by visiting www.allstargame.com or visiting the Reds box office at Great American Ball Park.
The 2015 All-Star Game will be played at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, July 14th. The 86th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.